I am not a fast learner sometimes.

Last Friday on my way to work I stopped at the Sev for a Slurpee. Even at 5:30am a Wild Cherry Slurpee sounded sooooo good. I stopped at the Sev that's about a mile from the office. I rode the final mile while drinking my Slurpee and carefully holding it so as not to crash my bike OR drop my beloved Slurpee. I made it all the way to work with no incident. As I got off of my bike I silently applauded myself for my success, it was at that very moment of contentment that the grasp of my Slurpee was compromised and it fell from my hand only to crash onto the pavement of the parking lot. At the moment of impact red liquid shot through the air much like a geyser in Yellowstone National Park covering me in red Slurpee juice. I managed not to swear but must admit I was overcome with angry feelings and feelings of disappointment.

This morning as I rode to work I vividly recalled the story of the spilled Slurpee from last week and contemplated giving it another shot because the sound of "Wild Cherry Slurpee" again sounded irresistible. By the time I made it to the Sev I had resolved to give it another shot. Again I made it all the way to the office with no incident. As I was turning into the parking lot I was reviewing in my mind how important it is to hold tightly to the Slurpee as I dismount my bike and enter the building. It was in that very moment, smack in the middle of that thought process, that I hit a BIG bump and again saw geyser-like action from my Slurpee!Luckily it all landed on my arm and did not get on my clothes. I am extremely grateful it didn't get on my clothes because when I got inside I went in the breakroom and tried to wash my arm off...it stained my skin! I can only imagine what it would do to my brand new shirt I was wearing! It's kind of hard to see in this picture but there are two Slurpee streaks running down my arm and they will not come off! There is more on my lower arm as well. At least this time I managed not to spill the entire Slurpee, I was able to enjoy the remainder that was not spilled on my arm and it was oh so GOOD!
This morning while riding to work and realizing that at the end of today I will have had my new bike computer for one full week I saw that in a week (so far) I have ridden 148.9 miles! That is so cool! Okay, half of that was my ride to Layton last Wednesday but I have still saved LOTS of money by biking instead of driving! Tonight I am going to Ogden but not biking the entirety of the way. I am taking the Frontrunner train in the interest of time. I'm anxious to see the final number tonight to know just how far I ride in a week...and to calculate just how much gas it has saved me to bike.

The price of crude oil has skyrocketed? Really? I had no idea!

I love my room!

Several weeks ago I wrote a post about my new bed. I am totally in love with it! It is cute beyond description and I decided to redecorate my room to accentuate the beauty and coolness of my bed.Here is my bed decked out in her new bedding. I got this awesome quilt cover and matching pillowcases at Ikea for only $19.99! It is sooo cute and cozy.
Above my bed hang four of my most favorite things. In the top center piece is a cork board that holds my most prized and loved possessions. My TWO letters from Sister Julie Bangerter Beck and my photo with her at Women's Conference. A media photo of Michelle King that I have held onto since I first met her in the summer of 2004....four years ago! I can't believe it's been so long. The cork board also holds two cards from Michelle King. One I received just before I left on my mission nearly 4 years ago and also a "Thank You" card that I received from her just last week thanking me for the visit and gift a couple of weeks ago. On the left side hangs a drawing that my friend Cindee drew for me on my 20th birthday, it's the Nauvoo Temple. On the right is the picture of the First Presidency, although it is not current. This is the print that was done after President Faust passed away and before the passing of President Hinckley. I need to go to the Distribution Center and get the new one. The small frame on the bottom is a list of the "B's" by President Hinckley. This was a gift on the day of my baptism and I absolutely love it.
Finally I have a wall which gives me some privacy...sort of! This is as close to a wall as I will get and it serves it's purpose well. I know that you all will be envious of my amazingly innovative bookshelf/tv stand! Yes, it's made of cinder blocks and wood. On the right is this amazing mirror that I got at Ikea. It came with a frame of unfinished wood so that you can paint it any color you want. I have painted it brown and still have a bit of work to do before it is finished. I got a rust colored paint to use as a topcoat and then I will add the stuff that makes the topcoat "crackle" so that you can see the brown in the cracks! I'm so excited to finish it, I hope that it turns out as well as I plan for it to.
I was also really excited about these cute little things. They come in packages of four and they are just cork board squares. This wall turned out really cute. On the cork boards I hung lots of fun things that bring big smiles to my face and wonderful experiences to my memory. Most of them include my awesome cousin Julie and our fun adventures over the past 6 months. She's so great!
Here is a close up of my favorite square. These are BYU Women's Conference memories. That definitely was the best week of my life so far!!! I love you Julie! Mormon powers unite. :-)

My New Love!

As most of you know I have been biking to work for the past couple of months due to an excessive amount of ambition and also the spike in gas prices which my frugal (aka "cheap") self refuses to pay for. My main mode of transportation became my old mountain bike that I had purchased when I was still in high school (over 6 years ago) and it was purchased from Target. It was one of the most expensive options they had at Target but still not a "real" bike. After all, according to Jaymee I have become Hardcore! But my little old Target mountain bike got me around for as long as I needed it to. I've been searching for a while for a new road bike which would offer faster and more efficient travel with less effort. Being new to the sport I hoped for a used bike that I could purchase for a relatively inexpensive price to ensure I would like it and utilize the purchase before buying a $1500 road bike. After months on Criag's List with no success I had given up and figured I would have to make the splurge on the nice expensive bike before I would ever have one of my own...then, in a day, my dreams came true!

There she was, listed on Craig's List right before my eyes. A red Schwinn World 10 speed that is most likely older than I am but she was so beautiful. I called the young man who had listed her for sale and he said that someone was coming to look at it that evening at 6 and if they didn't buy it I could come take a look. Hmm....I wasn't willing to take a chance on those hosers buying it when I knew she belonged with me so I called him back and offered him $70 instead of $60 AND the use of my Bro Code discount at Backcountry.com. He accepted the offer and told the other people it was SOLD!!! Boo yah! I could not wait for him to get off work at 6 that night so I could go pick up my new bike!

Unfortunately I haven't taken any pictures yet...I've spent too much time riding and not enough taking pictures! But I will post some soon because I know you're all DYING to see the beauty.

Another long and beautiful ride

I am covering a Saturday shift this weekend for a fellow supervisor here at work so I had Wednesday off this week. I woke up Wednesday morning after 17 consecutive hours of sleep and was feeling quite ambitious. I hadn't been on a lengthy bike ride in quite a while (not since the ride to Alpine 6 weeks ago) and was in need of some good "think time". I've found biking to be one of the best forms of think time. It's slower than a car so there is more opportunity to enjoy and appreciate your surroundings and the amazing beauty that God has given us in this earth. It's also a great time to listen to good talks by an array of my favorite speakers and learn more insight into gospel truths and principles. Wednesday I also woke up to a sweet gift that Grant had left for me the night before. He had bought me my very own bike computer (he's such a sweetheart)! I was so excited to see all of the things that it would tell me. I plotted my route to Layton and set off on my adventure.

Total distance: 72.55 Miles
Maximum speed: 33.2 Miles per Hour
Average Speed: 13.7 Miles per Hour
Time to Layton: 2 hours 50 Minutes
Time to Salt Lake: 2 hours 13 Minutes


I learned from my last ride to wear sunscreen when going on such an adventure...what I didn't think of was that when you wear sandals the tops of your feet are very much exposed to the sun! It doesn't hurt yet and I must admit this will become a KILLER tan and you all are jealous! I've seen you looking at my feet with envy the past two days. If Chaco has another "Chaco Tan Contest" this fall I think I may be in the running! The other thing that cannot be ignored as one examines this picture is that fact that I completely and 100% have my dad's feet! Those crazy toes that point out are just like his, thanks dad!

This was yet another adventure for the record books!

Just one last FYI...in the last two days (Wednesday and Thursday) I have ridden my bike 96.0 miles! Man! It is the most gratifying feeling to think of all the gas I have saved...96 miles, that's over $25.00 in gas for my Jeep! They aren't robbing me. In the last 3 weeks I have put only $30.00 worth of gas in my Jeep! That's a big difference considering I used to fill up ($50.00) every 5 to 6 days. I'm going to be ready for my cross country bike ride in no time!

You may call me Pink Moose

Susette tagged me with this a LONG time ago....(sorry Susette, I'm slow)! It was lots of fun and gave me a good laugh. Enjoy.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)-Panther Liberty
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)-Mint Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodle
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)- Bsmi
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)-Pink Moose
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)-Ashley Burlington
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)-Smibr
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)-The Blue Kool Aid
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)-Robert....I don't know my other grandpa's first name!
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)-Happy Blow Pop
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )-Elaine Leroy
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)-Neville Newark
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)-Winter Daisy
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)-Banana Hoodie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)-Donut Aspen
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)-The Skiing Snow Tour (RAWK on!!!)

I'm tagging: Jaymee, Kyley, Doug, and Ali

Michelle King, My Hero

This is my humble tribute to one of my own personal heroes. Michelle King and her husband embark on a new adventure this week. Steven has been called to preside over the Georgia Atlanta North Mission. Cheers to my hero as she departs this week on her mission....

Growing up in Iowa with aspirations to be a journalist I looked to Paula Sands (a local reporter) and Joan Lunden as my career role models for as long as I can remember. 6 years ago in 2002 I moved to Utah. Joan Lunden had long since retired and Paula would not be seen 1200 miles from her hometown of Moline, Illinois so I began a quest to find the best news in Utah. After a couple of years here my heart settled on Channel 2. Admittedly, it was initially because Michelle King reminded me of my great friend, Kara. I learned that Michelle had been a homecoming queen at BYU as she studied broadcast journalism there. In September of 2004 I was at a pivotal moment in my young life. I was making the decision to serve an LDS mission or begin my college studies in Broadcast Journalism. While discussing the decisions ahead of me, a freind said, "I work with Michelle on a charity committee every year and she's very nice. If you were to email her with your questions about school and a career in broadcasting I'm sure she'd answer them." I figured it a long shot that she'd even respond to an inquiry from a peasant such as myself but what did I have to lose? I sent her an email with several of my questions and she responded almost immediately with her phone number and extension telling me to call her and she would be happy to talk to me! She was so helpful and nice. It took me nearly a month to gain the courage required to dial her 7 digit telephone number...well, it was 11 digits if you count her extension. When I finally called her she suggested that I come up to the station to watch the broadcast..."Is this lady for real?" I thought. I am going to meet my hero, what do I wear? 2 days before my 21st birthday I had the opportunity to go to the station to watch the 10:00PM broadcast and meet Michelle King. I did have to buy a new outfit because I had absolutely nothing that was suitable to wear in her presence. Also, in anticipation of meeting her as I approached the big red doors at the station I suddenly had a nervous urge to vomit. I had never been so nervous in my life (and never was again until that time I took her cookies)! She turned out to be just as lovely in person as on the air. By the time I went to the station to visit I had already decided to serve a mission before I began school and I shared these plans with Michelle. As I left that night she asked that I keep in touch regarding my mission plans. A month later I received my mission call. I gave her a ring on the tele and paid her a visit at the station to tell her my exciting mission news. As we spoke for a few moments that evening I realized that she remembered anything I had ever told her about me! I felt very much like a VIP. A week later I received a card in the mail from her containing $20! What a thoughtful gift that meant the world to me.

A Temple Encounter:
After returning from my mission early I spent a lot of time at the temple, I didn't really want to be anywhere else. One day after spending some time in the temple I was leaving the parking lot in my car and I passed Michelle walking across the parking lot. As I approached her I hoped that she wouldn't recognize me out of fear of judgement due to my early return. But when I passed her she waved. GREAT! I stressed all day about whether or not she recognized me and if she did, what would she think....what if she thinks I got sent home because I was naughty??? Finally, I resolved to email her and tell her that I was home early due to medical issues. She responded saying the had thought it was me when she saw me and was also supportive and encouraging.

Women's Conference 2007:
In May of 2007 Michelle King was a presenter at BYU Women's Conference which I attended. Although her talk was about "Making Family Mealtime Fun" I still attended. She has a great sense of humor and kept us all laughing. My favorite quote, which has not been forgotten, was "Mom is not a slave slingin' hash". Before her talk I walked up and said hello to her. It had been since before my mission (2 and a half years) that I had talked to her in person but she still remembered me (or she did a fine job of pretending to remember)! She told me how great it was to see me again.

Dicks Market March 2008:
After going to the Bountiful Temple on a Friday morning in February I stopped at Dicks Market to get some medicine and some lunch to take to work. After paying for my merchandise I walked toward the only exit that was open. As I approached the exit I saw Michelle out of the corner of my eye coming toward the same exit at the same time! "Well hello Brooke! What are you doing up here, don't you live in Salt Lake?" I told her I had just been to the temple. We talked for a few moments and she asked me how I'd been. I asked if she was enjoying retirement unaware that they were then preparing and planning to serve a mission.

These are just a few of the chance encounters that I was privileged to have with Michelle King. I'm grateful for the brief opportunities that I have had to know her and to learn from her extraordinary example of a genuinely good human being.

It Rained Today

This morning I woke up at 4:30 and listened to the cars passing my house. On a day when there is a chance for rain this is my radar. You can hear as the cars drive by whether the road is wet or not. If it is wet I can go back to sleep for 30-45 more minutes, but if it is dry then I get up and ride my bike to work. Today the passing cars made no sound of wet roads so I hopped out of bed and prepared for the day. As I began strapping my backpack on I looked out the window and realized that there were large beads of water on the plants at our neighbors house....was it raining? I stepped outside...YES, it was raining but just a tiny sprinkle. "I think I'll throw on my Gore-Tex coat and give the old bike a chance in the rain", I thought to myself. I also packed my computer in plastic bags and a dry set of clothes in plastic bags (just in case). It was a good thing I did! I got to work absolutely soaking wet. It was nice until I got to West Valley and then it actually started pouring rain! I still love riding my bike, it is the best way to start my day...even in the rain. I find it humorous that as I was riding through West Valley in the pouring rain I thought, "Although I have a perfectly fine $18,000 car sitting at home in my driveway I'm still enjoying riding my bike 10 miles in the rain at 5:00 in the morning." I'm beginning to question my sanity...

Book Report

Today I finished reading the book "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew. It was AMAZING. There really aren't words to adequately describe the motivation and inspiration in this book. I have a great admiration for Sheri Dew's spiritual strength and genius, she is definitely one of my top 5. She really is brilliant and something about the way that she writes speaks directly to me like nothing else I've ever read. This is actually the second book I have read of hers recently. Just a couple of weeks ago I finished "If Life Were Easy It Wouldn't Be Hard". It was equally as moving as "No Doubt About It".
Sheri begins the book with a great quote which I can now echo for myself, "Although there are many things about this life that I do not understand, there are some truths about which I no longer have any doubt." It feels so good to know the truth and acknowledge it and stand for it "at all times and in all things and in all places". I love that.

She makes the challenging choices in life seem so simple and obvious. "When we come to understand not only who we are but who we have always been-and therefore who we may become-the choice between following Christ or embracing the world is really no choice at all."

READ IT!

I got my new BED!

Last night I went to Ikea and bought my very first "new" bed! It's a queen sized bed including the mattress and we fit all of it in my Jeep with NO help from any man!
Look at this sweet loading job!
I love putting things together...
I still love putting things together (2 hours later)...
Finally, after three hours it is finished!
I LOVE MY NEW BED!!!!

Creative in the Kitchen!

Monday when I got home from work Jaymee and I made Calzones for dinner. They are soooo good! You make the crust from Rhodes frozen rolls (or the generic brand if you're like me) defrost them and let them rise. Combine three rolls into one big ball and roll it into a 12 inch flat circle using a rolling pin. Spread a small amount of pizza sauce on half of the crust, add toppings, add cheese and fold over. Pinch the edges of the crust to seal them together. Place on greased baking sheet and put in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Making a cheese calzone.

They got so HUGE in the oven!

Yum, yum! Despite the look...no, Jaymee is NOT stoned!

These calzones were VERY yummy and possibly a new favorite.